The adoption of grid transit networks in non-metropolitan contexts

This paper deals with grid transit network schemes and their specific features: orthogonal main routes that do not overlap, increased transit frequency, and distance between bus stops in interchange areas to be optimized. So far, this solution has been successfully adopted in metropolitan areas with orthogonal urban shapes (as shown by the description in Section 2). The aim of this paper is to discuss the extension of such systems into cities with less than one million inhabitants. A method to evaluate the performance of these schemes is proposed, based on the reduction of travel times for users and on the decrease of travel costs for the transport agency, with the constraint of not reducing the overall capacity. With the support of a GIS-based model, the method is applied to the case study of Turin (Italy), showing that the introduction of the grid network results in an improvement of the service, with a reduction of 16 bus routes. Compared to the current condition, this grants a reduction of both operational costs (−687€/peak hour and −232€/off-peak hour, equal to −0.7% and −0.3%) and, mostly, travel times (636 h and 316 h saved by users during peak and off-peak hours, equal to −2.4% and −2.7%), thus confirming the potential usefulness of this system in non-metropolitan contexts characterized by orthogonal schemes, and giving local transport policy-makers an additional perspective.